Some perspective from Anthony Dion

Main Menu

Wacky college football season goes to show that the BCS works (as it always has)

With Arkansas’ defeat of No. 1 LSU on Friday, this wacky and unpredictable 2007 season of college football keeps rolling.

After the Razorbacks finished running over LSU’s vaunted defense, the Tigers were left with sickness in their stomachs and thoughts that undoubtedly wandered over their two blown chances this year of finishing the year as the No. 1 team in the country. This was indeed the Tigers’ second loss as the No. 1 team in the polls; the first coming against Kentucky and another Heisman candidate (Andre’ Woodson).

Upon completion of today’s No. 2 Kansas (11-0) vs. No. 4 Missouri (10-1) showdown, a fourth No. 1 team will have climbed atop the pile of NCAA division one football with that team most likely being the winner of the aforementioned showdown. Not since 1997 have there been four different number one teams in the same season. This year, there might as well have been five as LSU was given two cracks at the crown.

Prior to this year in college football, every season since the BCS was installed holiday time brought out heated debate concentrated not on whether or not to replace the BCS; rather on how and when. Sports brings out the most passionate opinions and ardent supporters of any genre of topics; its only rivals being religion and politics perhaps. And that’s what’s great about sports. The fact that there are so many people who hold such a wide array of beliefs and opinions and are so passionate about them. The problem is, the radicals that think they’re right are almost always wrong and that is hardly anymore clear than with this season of college football coming to a close.

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS), is the best system for determining a champion in college football, period. college football is simply too hard to predict, with a vast amount of teams and all kinds of various commitments that it is legally bound to fulfill. And you know what? The BCS is a simple formula that gives us — the college football fans — as great of an outcome as any of us can truly hope for. A playoff system leaves to many questions and too many problems.

How many teams do you include and which ones and by what method are they chosen? The extra games are taxing on the student-athletes, emphasis on student. We all have to remember that these players are most importantly students and have requirements that go beyond the football field. Not only that, but most of these teams are already playing 13 games in a season, how many more can they physically take on without breaking down as a team? It’s just not feasible.

The best playoff system has always been there, it remains there still. That system is called a schedule. And as everyone of the 126 division one programs goes through an 11-13 game schedule, things work themselves out.

This year has shown that every team gets their opportunity, some even two. If you play a competitive schedule in a solid conference and you win your games, then good things will happen for you. If not, then you have no one — or system — to blame but yourself. The BCS works, and hopefully now, all of the criticism can end.

2 responses to “Wacky college football season goes to show that the BCS works (as it always has)”

That’s why a lot of these guys leave school early right? That’s why many have ridiculous majors at schools like Ohio State right?

How is playing a couple extra games during the 6 weeks where they aren’t playing games prior to bowls, but are still practicing several hours a day taxing, especially when it’s only a handful of schools that would be doing it?

The schedule argument is tough considering some schools schedule games several years in advance. How do you think USC feels about having Notre Dame on their schedule this year?

What about the undefeated teams who rolled EVERYONE up that didn’t get a sniff at the title? Are you telling me the 2004 Auburn Tigers weren’t good enough and didn’t play in a good enough conference??? The SEC is routinely the best conference in the nation! What about Boise State? They PROVED they could beat and hang with anyone last year! Perhaps Hawaii this year!

The point is that you CANNOT know unless you actually PLAY the games. If the computer is so smart, why don’t they even play games in the first place? We can just have the NCAA Paper Championship.

If it’s such a good system, why are they the ONLY sport, in fact the only level of one particular sport that uses it? When it “works” the BCS pats themselves on the back because there were two unbeaten teams.

Obviously, I disagree. I say that the BCS is the system that would give us the “best” outcome that we could hope for and that’s exactly what it does. Yes, in 2004 Auburn got screwed but that is the only time (I’m sorry but Boise St. and Hawaii play in weak conferences. Boise St. beat an average Oklahoma team last year by trickery so don’t even try to say that they should’ve been given a chance.) that the BCS has failed. Every year other than that, a national title game was played and gave us a deserving winner.

My argument against playoffs still stands strong. The games couldn’t be played in December because of the bowl contracts. The playoff series would take place over the BCS bowls and happen in January. How do you select the teams? How many are selected? That would create more controversy than there is with the BCS now. The schedule teams play continues to be the best “playoff” system there is and will ever be. Schedule tough opponents, win your games and you will be given every chance at the title. Look at LSU this year. They had two chances and couldn’t get it done. Stop whining about the BCS and start looking at your favorite team. It’s their own fault that they aren’t in the title game, not the BCS’.